How to Buy a Server

Even in the age of cloud computing, hosting your own server can make a lot of sense, but getting started can be a daunting task. We break down the basics of buying your own small business server.

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This may be the age of cloud computingwhen more business are shifting to Internet-based services for many operational tasks; but, make no mistakeon-premise servers are still an integral part of a small business' network. Servers can help to streamline a network, especially an expanding one. A peer-to-peer network may be fine for a home or small business with maybe three or four computers connected to one another, each sharing files and perhaps a few devices like a printer, a wireless router, or a NAS box. When a network starts to grow, either in number of users or in the amount of data that's kept on it, a server can help a business stay organized and efficient. But there are a wide variety of servers available, all of them highly configurable.

First, you need to understand what servers are good at. Servers can be used to house files and manage printers. Better yet, they can manage which users on a network can access which resources. They can serve as machines handling a company's website, email, databases, remote access and other tasks.
Servers can range from simple, inexpensive tower PCs to sophisticated boxes designed to handle heavy workloads and provide disaster recovery with backup, data redundancy and fault tolerance. Sifting through the vast options in the server market need not be a headache, if you have a good understanding of what your business needs are, how scalable you need a server to be and how critical it is to have that server stay operational in the event of a disaster.
Here is a breakdown of key considerations when shopping for a server for your small business:

Price: Of course, your budget is going to have a lot to do with which server you select. Small business servers typically range from $500 to $5,000. Pricing depends on the configuration of a server. If a business has simple server needs, for example, requiring only a file and printer server with backup capability, remote access, and some limited disaster recovery capabilities, then a lower-end server would be fine. Keep in mind, however, that cheaper servers are often not as scalable as they usually have one drive (two at most)limiting total storage capacity and fault tolerance capabilities. They are also not designed for heavy workloads. Just as with desktops, higher-priced server configurations, give higher-end options like multiple drives, more memory and a faster processor. If you have a lot of data processing going on in a businessusers accessing billing systems or databasesyou're going to want to look into the highest-end system you can afford and not sacrifice on performance, especially if the server will be running mission-critical appliations.

Day-to-Day Operations: Understanding your company's day-to-day needs is crucial. Does your company need to run a database on the server? Will employees need remote access? Perhaps the server will handle e-mailif so, take into account the number of user accounts that will access the server. Remember, a specific server can come in different configurations for different business purposes. For example, Lenovo's ThinkServer TS200v ranges in price from $299 to $1,000 depending on what feature you choose. Light server needs would do fine with a lower-priced ThinkServer while businesses that have anticipate highly-trafficked websites, many database transactions, or any other resource intensive workloads would be better served by by the higher-end configuration.

Scalability: Have five or fewer employees in your business currently? A server that might suit that small number of users will not be as efficient in supporting twice as many. If you expect to add users and data, especially large data like images, video, or database record, opt for a server with scalability. This means maximum storage capacity, support for multiple drives (drives that can be added as a business scales), room for expansion inside the chassis (for memory upgrades and cards) and a capable processor. The HP Proliant ML330 G6 is a good example of a scalable server.

Data Redundancy/Fault Tolerance: Some businesses cannot afford any interruption in productivity due to server problems and downtime. Or, maybe complete data loss would mean complete ruin for a business. Others may have more forgiving data requirements. Data redundancy and fault tolerance are ways to keep data intact and servers functioning in the event of a disaster such as disk drive failure. Fault tolerance and data redundancy are achieved through a server technology known as RAID.

Lower end business servers usually are capable of performing basic RAID: RAID level 0 for disk striping which aids only in slightly boosting performance of a server and does not provide fault tolerance and RAID level 1 which does provide fault tolerance though mirroring---copying data from either one logical volume on a single drive to another; or from one physical drive to another. Higher-end servers can perform more complex levels of RAID such as RAID 5 and 10best for organizations that need a high-level of fault tolerance without too much hit on performance. A beefy small business server that can provide the maximum RAID levels that an SMB would need is the Dell PowerEdge T310 server. For more detailed information on RAID check out our guide to understanding RAID levels.

Space: Many smaller businesses don't have dedicated server closets. Be cognizant of what space you have available and the dimensions of the server you are interested in, as well as the form factor. You cannot run a server designed to fit inside a server rack (like the HP Proliant DL380 G5 on top of a desk and expect to run optimally. Air flow and temperature considerations need to be taken into account as well. Even a tower desktop serverwhich is usually a bigger version of a desktop machine, works best in a well-ventilated and temperature regulated room. Consider, too, that servers can be quite noisy when you're picking one out. If it has to live in a workspace, you'll want a quieter one.

IT Expertise: Whether you have IT staff on hand or not can also influence your server choice. Many servers have remote administration and power-on capabilitiesperfect if you have the occasional remote IT support call. If you are going to tackle it alone without much help outside from a vendor or seller, an easy to administer server like the Apple Mac mini with Snow Leopard server or the Lenovo ThinkServer TS200v would be good choices.

Environment: Have an office where everyone is using a Mac? Then your server choice is easy. Keep administration simple by deploying the Mac mini server or Apple's Xserve for larger organizations. Used to Windows? Then a server running Windows Small Business Server or Server 2008 (again, for larger networks) would be easier to deploy and administer.

Samara Lynn has nearly twenty years experience in Information Technology; most recently as IT Director at a major New York City healthcare facility. She has a Bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College, several technology certifications, and she was a tech editor for the CRN Test Center.
With an extensive, hands-on background in deploying and managing Microsoft Windows infrastructures and networking, she was included in Black Enterprise's "20 Black Women in Tech You Need to Follow on Twitter," and received the 2013 Small Business Influencer Top 100 Champions...
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